Feb 6, 2008 9:42 pm US/Mountain
Avalanche Falls Inside Durango City Limits
Reporting
Paul Day
DURANGO, Colo. (CBS4) ―
All the heavy snowfall has caused major problems in Durango after some roofs collapsed and an avalanche hit within city limits on Tuesday.
The avalanche partially covered an open space trail.
"Somebody from the Double Tree parking lot actually saw the skiers come down and the avalanche chasing them and one of them disappears," said Assistant Chief Allen Clay with Durango Fire and Rescue.
The buried victim survived.
"His partner found that person, got his head out, breathing," Allen said.
A rescue team from Durango fire brought the injured skier, Kyle Stansbury, 28, down to a waiting ambulance. He was later released from a hospital after treatment.
The 400 foot slide, right on the edge of town, is a vivid reminder of unstable snow conditions and high avalanche danger.
Roof collapses are also another concern for Durango. A couple structures have already failed from the weight of all the snow. One is a former ice skating rink and the other an overhang at a mobile home park. Nobody was hurt.
Preventive measures are now underway. One example is at the local Wal-Mart, where crews could be seen on Tuesday hand-shoveling the snow off the roof.
On Wednesday, warmer weather moved in. Some of the nearly 6 feet of snow that's fallen on Durango in the past month began to melt, but it will freeze again at night.
Durango's public works director said residents there may face a new headache -- frozen gutters and drain pipes.
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